Wednesday, October 28, 2009

SUISUN CITY - The Suisun City Library will be transformed into a 'Haunted Toy Store' Thursday with six different scary rooms staffed by local teen volunteers as part of various family activities scheduled for an early Halloween celebration.

The rooms will include a doll house, a mad scientist lab, a fortune teller room, a clown room, a fairy tale room and a G.I. Joe Army room, said event organizer Mikayla Forkes, 16.

'We built walls within the meeting room that are separated by archways,' said Forkes, a senior at Armijo High School.

The event is aimed at children in middle school or younger, Forkes said, adding that there is a system in place to tone down the fear factor for younger children.

'For kids that are young, we encourage parents to come through with the kids,' Forkes said. 'We'll ask parents. 'Are they scared easily?' so everyone is aware. We can change it per kid so we're not scaring everyone who's too frightened to come through.'

SUISUN CITY'S HARBOR THEATER HOSTS PRODUCTION

Cast members of Rodriguez High School's production of "Steel Magnolias" run through a dress rehearsal of the play Tuesday evening at the Suisun Harbor Theatre. The theater will allow the students to have a more realistic experience producing the play according to the school's drama teacher, Nathan Day. Photo by Brad Zweerink

SUISUN CITY - For the first time in about 15 years, a Fairfield-Suisun School District high school will offer a play off campus at a local theater.

'Our (campus) theater is a black box that was originally built to be an auto shop and they converted it into a theater,' said Nathan Day, the theater teacher and director for Rodriguez. 'It's nice to be able to offer the kids a more realistic theater experience where they don't have to set up chairs and take them down after the show to set up the room for class the next week.'

As a graduate of the Solano Community College theater program, Day stayed in touch with contacts from the program who let him know about the opportunity to perform at the Suisun Harbor Theater. The college program advertised 'Steel Magnolias' in its programs for 'The Producers,' which ended its run Oct. 18.

The drama club at Rodriguez High typically funds its shows through ticket sales, Day said, so though the cost of performing at the Suisun Harbor Theater is double the cost of performing at the school, he hopes to draw a larger crowd and sell more tickets.

'I know it's a gamble, and I said to my administrators that it's a gamble,' Day said. 'I am well aware this could blow up in my face, but I thought the pros outweighed the cons.'

Thursday, October 22, 2009

SUISUN CITY — Suisun City residents can now walk or bike from one end of the City to the other without ever having to cross busy Highway 12 at a stoplight thanks to completion of the last segment of the Central County Bikeway.The ½-mile segment of bikeway from Marina Boulevard to the Suisun City Train Station, featuring an impressive 140-foot bridge, literally closes the last gap in the Bikeway. It was officially opened to the public Thursday during an afternoon ribbon cutting ceremony.

The Gap Closure Project is the last piece in a continuous 3-mile pathway through the heart of Suisun City dedicated for pedestrian and bicycle use along the north side of Highway 12. It is an essential safety enhancement that allows area residents to access the Waterfront District, Amtrak service, Solano County offices, and dining and shopping opportunities without using their cars.>> READ MORE >>

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

SUISUN CITY — The Suisun City Council unanimously approved on Tuesday the sale of the shuttered Community/Aquatic Center next to Hall Park to The Salvation Army.

The vote concluded a 16-month search for a new operator for the community facility following the sudden closure of the facility by the YMCA.

The Salvation Army will develop a timeline for the complete renovation of the facility before reopening it with a full range of community and recreational services for everyone from seniors to youth, including fitness and aquatics programs.>> READ MORE >>

SUISUN CITY - Come to the Suisun Wildlife Center to adopt a 'wild' pumpkin for a small donation, and help support the Center's work of rescuing and releasing back to the wild injured and orphaned wildlife.

The Pumpkin Patch is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Wildlife Center, 1171 Kellogg Street, Suisun City.

When you pick out your pumpkin make sure to visit the Center's non-releasable wildlife family, including a coyote, raccoon and golden eagle. Also stop by the education center to learn about Solano County wildlife and the Suisun Marsh.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

SUISUN CITY — The Suisun City Council will consider on Tuesday selling the shuttered Community/Aquatic Center next to Hall Park to The Salvation Army, which is committed to upgrading and reopening the facility for a broad range of community services.

Once the agreement is approved by both parties, The Salvation Army will lay out its timeline for renovations and a Grand Re-Opening. The Salvation Army Board of Directors (Western Territory) approved the agreement on Monday, October 12, 2009.

“It is absolutely tremendous to return this essential asset to the Suisun City community, particularly during a time when community services are needed more than ever,” said City Manager Suzanne Bragdon. “The Salvation Army brings the experience, focus, dedication and resources to make this an extremely successful operation.”

The City Council will consider selling the entire facility, including the gymnasium, offices, community rooms, workout space, locker rooms and swimming pool, to The Salvation Army for $3 million. Because improvements to the facility would be funded through donations, The Salvation Army requested to purchase the facility rather than operate the City-owned facility.

Approval of this project by The Salvation Army is a testament to the opportunity this Community/Aquatic Center presents.

“In spite of current economic challenges, The Salvation Army believes that the residents of Suisun City and its surrounding communities are sufficiently committed to the health, fitness and future of their families,” said Major Douglas F. Riley, Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army’s Del Oro Division. “We are looking forward to working together and making this a positive outcome for all.”

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

SUISUN CITY — Persistent heavy rainfall throughout the day filled the drainage ditches and systems that drain Suisun City streets. As the rain abates and the tides fall, the drains will catch up and localized flooding will subside.

Ditches along Humphrey Drive, Railroad Avenue and the northern stretch of Main Street were running at or over capacity by late Tuesday afternoon. As a result, street drains that feed into those ditches could not operate properly and streets across the City filled with water.

The Suisun City Public Works Department checked and cleared drains throughout the day. As the drainage systems reached capacity, pumps and sandbags were deployed to re-channel water gathering on local streets.

Public Works crews will remain on Flood Watch around the clock and respond to developing situations until weather conditions improve.

Two self-serve sandbag stations were deployed for residents to use 24 hours a day at

Friday, October 9, 2009

SUISUN CITY — A $700,000 project to rehabilitate Sunset Avenue from Highway 12 to Railroad Avenue will begin Tuesday morning.

The work, conducted by Ghilotti Construction Company under contract with the City, will be coordinated to ensure at least one lane in each direction is open for traffic at all times, and to minimize impacts on local businesses and residents.

During the day, from about 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., crews will conduct work that is anticipated to have minimal impacts on traffic, including

During nighttime hours, from about 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., crews will conduct the majority of the repaving work that is anticipated to cause temporary closures of shopping center driveways and other accesses. Indirect access to the Sunset Shopping Center and the Heritage Park Shopping Center will be maintained at all times.

Weather conditions may require some paving work to be performed during daytime hours. Motorists are encouraged to monitor signage in the construction zone, and follow the instructions of construction workers. Alternate routes should be used to avoid the construction zone, if possible.

The Sunset Avenue Rehabilitation Project is expected to take approximately nine weeks to complete, depending on weather conditions.

This project will result in new road surface for the entire length of Sunset Avenue through Suisun City. The Public Works Department completed the reconstruction of the Sunset Avenue and Railroad Avenue intersection earlier this year, which widened the roadway, installed sidewalks and bike lanes, and significantly upgraded vehicle and pedestrian safety at the Union Pacific Railroad crossing.

The Sunset Avenue Rehabilitation Project is funded by a federal stimulus grant provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was designed to preserve jobs, spur economic activity and invest in long-term economic growth.

Monday, October 5, 2009

At Rush Ranch Open Space,Access Adventure is busy breeding the most beautiful horses I have ever seen. I am not a horse expert...but you don't have to be an expert to know that this 6-month-old colt, Fandango, is really something special. Michael Muir (great-grandson of John) is the magic behind this darling. But the real stars were his parents - a Royal Night Friesian and Spotted Leopard Appaloosa. Until a year ago, I had never heard of either. But now I am a frequent visitor to Rush Ranch and met Fandango when he was just days old.

Newly weaned, he's renewed his interest in two-footed friends. But even though he's a growing boy...he's still very much like a baby. And during our visit, couldn't help but take a little nap. Check out the slide show.